1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to gondolas for aerial ropeways pertaining to the type of equipment intended for transporting passengers between two terminal stations by means of a cable carrying along a plurality of disconnectable gondolas each adapted to carry only a few passengers. The invention relates more particularly to a gondola for rope- or cableways of this type, which comprises on a same lateral side two apertures spaced from each other and permitting the access of passengers to two bench seats disposed traversely back to back so that in front of each seat a wide transparent windshield affords a wide-angle panoramic forward or backward view for the passengers.
2 . Description of the Prior Art
A gondola of the general type set forth hereinabove has already been proposed and utilized by the Applicants as recited in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,931,769. In this prior art gondola the lateral apertures are cleared by causing the simultaneous translation of a pair of lateral doors responsive to an automatic control mechanism. Although the exploitation of this gondola is fully satisfactory, notably in that the passengers can step in and out very rapidly and that ski holders can be disposed on the outer surface of the fixed wall disposed between the two apertures, the movements of translation of the doors prevent the passengers from embarking and disembarking in a standing position and make it necessary to provide in the roof an emergency trap for the ingress of possible rescuers into the underlying gondola. On the other hand, the precision required for properly guiding the movements of translation of the lateral doors increases considerably the final manufacturing cost and the maintenance expenses of the gondolas. Finally, the sliding movements of translation of the gondola doors are likely to interfere with the obtaining of the most propitious streamlined shape with a view to minimize the action of wind on the gondolas.